“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou

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Welcome to my blog! This is my journey, my first steps into the world of fictional writing. This blog is an online journal of sorts, where I share the progress of my work as well as what I have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy your time with me and that my experience may be of some use to you.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Interview - Roy C. Booth

Welcome back!

I was fortunate to meet this month's writer via Facebook. As you will see from his long list of published works, he is a well established writer, having works ranging from fantasy, Sci-fi and horror. So it is my great pleasure to introduce you, Roy C. Booth.

Roy was kind enough to volunteer for my writer interviews. As a writer, I found his professionalism and sense of organization to be quite interesting. Though he had contacted me in July, he graciously accepted to have his interview postponed until October in order to coincide with Halloween.

Short Bio:Roy C. Booth hails from Bemidji, MN where he manages Roy's Comics & Games (est. 1992) with his wife and three sons. He is a published author, comedian, poet, journalist, essayist, screenwriter, and internationally awarded playwright with 57 stage plays published (Samuel French, Heuer, et al) with 810+ productions worldwide in 30 countries in ten languages. He is also known for collaborations with R Thomas Riley, Brian Keene, Eric M. Heideman, William F. Wu, Axel Kohagen, and others (along with his presence on the regional convention circuit). See his entry on Wikipedia, his Facebook pages, his publishers' sites, and his Amazon Author Page, http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00A7CVLNG, for more.

I've wanted to be a playwright and a horror writer since I was six years old. I made my first pro sale at age 14, my first stage play sale to Samuel French at 24.

Did you receive any special training or attend a school?

Technically I'm self-taught for the most part, although I do have a BA in English/Speech-Theatre and an MA in English from Bemidji State University, which helped.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get a lot of my horror from my nightmares. Everything else is from the bills I tape to the side of my monitor…

Do you use any special resources when writing?

I have a very extensive network of lawyers, private detectives, doctors. librarians, artists, collaborators, and other expert professionals on hand for research, advice, contacts, and fact checking.

What is (in your opinion) the most important thing to remember when writing, and why is it so important?

You write for an audience, more specifically, you write for your core audience. Treat them right first and foremost. And remember that writing for publication (and money) is an industry and a business.

What is (in your opinion) the most challenging part of writing, and how do you overcome it?

Waiting for responses on submissions used to drive me nuts until I realized that if I kept busy and kept submitting the wait didn't seem all that bad since I had so much going on in that regard. That's also part of the secret to becoming a prolific writer: write, edit, submit, start another story, repeat

Did you use an agent? (why or why not?)

Nope. I believe in eliminating the middleman, and thus focus on the services of a good lawyer instead. (See above.) Some day, perhaps.

Did you use an Editor? If not, what process did you use to edit your work?

I rely on the network mentioned above -- I've got some pretty damn good beta readers and professional colleagues.

How did you get your book published? (self-published, Vanity publishing, Mainstream publisher).

I am 95% traditionally published. Vanity press is an abomination. The money should always go to the author, not the other way around.

Do you handle your own marketing?

For the most part, yes. My wife, who is also a writer and a business owner of 20+ years, is a big help on that front.

What is your best marketing tip?

If at all possible, make sure you have covers that also pop at thumbnail size since social media and online sales are so crucial to an author's overall success nowadays. Your product has to look good at any size and in any format.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Be professional with all of your dealings with the public, online or in person. Do NOT exaggerate your sales, personal contacts/name dropping, resume, what-have-you. Be prepared to back any and all statements you make about your work with third party proof/verifications. Try to be as transparent as possible. Many writers have ruined their careers by being caught in lies and other deceptions. Try to avoid dealing with authors/publishers/agents/et al who do lie and blatantly exaggerate for whatever reasons. They have a tendency to suck you into deals/drama/shenanigans that will prove detrimental to your integrity and career.

Tip #2: Kick the tires. If you have a writing business question/concern, pursue it. Have someone else look over your contracts with you and watch out for errors, rights grabs, downright thievery, and other possible pitfalls. Consult writing watchdog groups (Writer Beware, Preditors & Editors, et al) to find out which editors/publishers/agents/service providers are on the up and up. Stay vigilant and watch out for one another.

In closing, I would like to thank Roy for taking the time to do this interview. His knowledge and insight was truly appreciated. I look forward to hearing more about him in the future.

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